Project Progression
A timeline of Folded Dialogue's progression.
Conceptualising Ideas
Origami was, and still is, genuinely interesting to me personally - so I chose it as the core topic and began mind-mapping every possible research question I could think of at the time, exploring how some themes may intersect, and the social / cultural implications of origami.
Research Questions
I developed 3 research questions varying in
theoretical directions:
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How does origami's requirement of patience and discipline reflect and/or resist societal pressures of productivity?
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What role can origami play in rethinking human relationships with nature and impermanence?
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How does the collective action of folding paper cranes communicate ideas of solidarity?
Looking back, I've noticed that these are presuppositional questions - questions that imply or assume their outcomes already.
Group Feedback Session
Above are the slides I presented for the first group presentation, outlining the initial research and draft ideas. Helpful feedback I received involved considering aerial shots and the tones/colours when documenting and workshop planning.
Project Proposal Form
As mentioned in Project Management, my first project proposal submission was approved with minor modifications: to include experimental film references, refine the research question and amend the schedule list timings.
With the help of my supervisor, the research question became:
'How do we negotiate our relationships with digital technologies when taking part in collective origami?'
Interim Report
This stage of the project was slightly challenging because of having to thoroughly discuss the technicalities of the research, and the references to support said research. However the report succeeded to be strong and thoughtful in regards to the methodology and evaluation
of theories and decisions.
Indicative Creative Output (ICO)
For my ICO, I produced a sound work of me teaching my course mates how to fold an origami crane. There was no strict plan or set of goals - I just set up my phone camera to record the sounds of us creasing the paper, and capturing what topics of conversation comes up.
My supervisor feedbacked that it was 'a good snapshot of the direction of the creative expression. The sound is basic and clunky. An effort to overlay an experimental element such as an image would have increased
its ambition.
Experimentation
On a long train ride to Scotland, the thought of making origami to pass time was only to be expected. Teaching my father how to fold the origami crane was a rollercoaster of emotions, from frustration to laughter, to the quiet moments of focus - the process brought human connection and a childlike joy. Staff and other commuters passed by and expressed surprise, some saying how they used to love making origami when they were younger.
Winter Break Research
Over the break I prioritised looking into the readings and references mentioned in my Project Proposal Form, while also finding additional texts that aided the framework of understanding my project and what I wanted Folded Dialogue to emanate.
These can be found in Research & Application.
We had a supported gallery visit to Tate Modern and I was intrigued by the works of Xiyadie. The artist expresses queer intimacy and joy self-determination through the folk art of papercutting. It fairly resembled the nature of origami and the way the artwork was exhibited made me consider using hanging installation techniques
Formative Crit
Above is a video edit of myself, folding an origami crane -focusing on the sounds of the paper when interacted with. The aim was to demonstrate and explore how tactility can be captured digitally. I attached my phone to a tripod to get stable shots, and tried out different angles. Overlayed is audio from a podcast called 'Seasoned Sessions', as it reminded me of the nature of casual conversation that would've reflected the group setting. The main feedback was to get the sound right, as it was hard to hear coming from my laptop, in the open area where the session was held.
Formative Crit
For the following crit, I decided to experiment with physical mediums to try and involve the viewer into a two way interaction, compared to the last output. The zine is titled 'a poetic origami crane guide' and the poetic route was chosen aiming to slow the reader down and emphasise that the process matters, just as much as the outcome.
I received a lot of positive feedback, and suggestions of playing with scale and size, or having a personal message aspect implemented into the folding process to encourage the sentimental value.
Origami Workshops
The origami workshops were held in the library rooms, due to its enclosed space I figured it would be beneficial to capture the audio. More about the workshops can be found in Project in Practice.
Planning these were difficult as most of my participants were busy with work shifts and their own projects, yet we made it work as those who couldn't make it to the first workshop made it to the one after.
Rough Installation Plan
Moving Image Edit
Have been given a corner to work with, which is great as the two adjacent walls give space for a mesh ceiling to be nailed at the top of the walls.
After heavy consideration, I have decided to not use the recorded workshops in the final outcomes, as I believe the origami and written feedback produced by the participants provides sufficient material in order to exhibit my research outcome.